


Changing the Present for ya.

by Harry1981



Series: Change the time, would ya? [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, F/M, Fix-It, Fluff and Angst, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Pre-Avengers (2012), Semi complaint to all marvel movies, Time Travel Fix-It
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-18
Updated: 2018-12-08
Packaged: 2019-06-12 10:51:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15338262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Harry1981/pseuds/Harry1981
Summary: The Avengers is a good team. They save the world and work well.But Clint, Bruce, Tony, Thor, Phil, Fury and even Natasha sometimes can't help but feel things are going too well and everything seems so well planned. Even when they make a mistake, Captain America aka Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter are there to save the day. When the third person of the group comes, things just get creepier.Why exactly?........................Sequel to Change the Future, would ya? You can give it a try but no promises you will understand it.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I am BACK! So, I won't be updating soon cause I haven't written after this. I just wanted to give you a teaser kind of thing? hope you enjoy it!

Clint Baron had seen things in his life.  He had some proud achievements to display. One was obviously rescuing Natasha Romanoff a few years ago from the Red Room. Said ex-assassin turned spy was sitting beside him, tired.

Budapest was definitely something else.

He knew he was never going to indulge in the details of that particular mission. It was one hell of a thing.

“That was fun.”

Clint slowly opened his eyes, turning and staring at the woman beside her.

“You and I will remember Budapest very differently.”

The redhead just smirked, the corners of her lips twitching. Now that was an achievement.

She opened her eyes, turning her head. Her hair was cut short, reaching the sides of her face in curls. “Well,” she said, the smirk not leaving her face, “You and I are very different people, Barton.”

Clint couldn’t help but agree. Shaking his head, he watched as a few medics made their way towards them. Behind them, Coulson stood with a smile. Of course, the man would be there. Fury would be pissing himself over the details.

“Agent Barton, Agent Romanoff,” the man said as the medics worked on them, “Director Fury demands the report.”

“I will go,” the woman said but was immediately pushed down by Clint. She was happily displaying a few broken ribs, a fractured hand, a broken ligament and a concussion. Clint was only limping.

“You sit this one out Nat,” Clint said, an affectionate tone creeping in. “I will talk to Fury.”

Usually, Natasha, being the woman she was, would have fought tooth and nail to ensure that she accompany him as well. But the people had already injected her with something and she just smiled sleepily, nodding.

Clint gave her a short smile before walking out of the medic bay, following Coulson. Once the two men were out of the doors, Clint said, “You seem to have made the drug better.”

Coulson smiled in response. Clint knew better than to pry for details. Silently, they walked to Director Fury’s chamber.

Now, Clint was a spy. He noticed stuff. So yeah, he did notice how Coulson’s smile was wider than usual and how he was practically jumping every few steps. What the hell?

They reached Director Fury’s office far too early. Clint had just begun to notice that Coulson wore the ‘special’ pair of the suit which he wore on special occasions and that his hair had been trimmed-well, whatever was left of it.

As the Agent pulled the door open, Clint saw the Director and Agent Hill talking in hushed voices. As soon as they made their presence known, the two stopped and Agent Hill walked out briskly, nodding at the two in response.

Well, Fury’s secrets had secrets of their own. Who was Clint to pry?

“Agent Barton,” Fury looked at him with the same old expression. “I hear the mission was a success.”

The underlying note of sarcasm did not go unnoticed by Clint.

“Well, Director,” Clint gave a small smile, “We did get the information you needed and eliminated all the threats.”

“While destroying some rather important places.” Fury finished, looking none too happy. “Hungarian government is not too happy and the World Security Council is on my back. What do I tell them?”

“We were in a tight-”

The door opened with a whoosh and all the men turned to face none other than Agent Carter.

A rather furious Agent Carter.

Clint had always been in awe of this woman. He had joined SHIELD when Agent Carter was the Director and Howard Stark her friend. He had served with her in some missions before she had decided to retire.

However, the very next year a young looking woman looking exactly like Director appeared in SHIELD and Clint did not believe for a second that she was Peggy Carter’s ‘granddaughter’.

It was a good thing that Director Carter was fond of him, or else when he had confronted her with the fact that she was not the granddaughter but the woman herself, he would have lost a few limbs.

Agent Carter trusted him, Phil and Natasha, for some reason and was allowed onto the secret that yes she was the former Director Carter and that she had some kind of serum in her veins.

Peggy Carter was usually all smiles. Even when angry, she would merely sport a sarcastic comment.

So yes, Clint was scared when he saw the anger on Peggy Carter’s face.

Coulson didn’t look much better.

“When was I going to find out, Nicholas?”

Clint watched as the woman slammed the door shut behind her loudly. Clint flinched as she stormed up to the table, not even sparing a glance at the other two agents. 

The table, made of steel, had two hand-shaped dents as she banged her hands on the table head. “When exactly,” she demanded, “were you planning to tell me that Steve Rogers was found alive?”

Steve Ro-wait, Steve Rogers? As in freaking Captain America? That dude was alive?

Well, that would explain Coulson’s attire.

“Ma’am,” Fury began and oh, Clint could see the man was scared, “we were trying to merely make him adjust...”

“And whose brilliant idea was to lie to him?” she asked loudly, this time cracking the table by the sheer force under her hands. “Fury, I swear to God, I have been very patient with you and your every plan. Even when I disagreed with what you thought. But this, Nicholas, this got personal.”

Clint watched from the furious woman back to the Director, now sitting up straight but Clint knew he was scared to hell and back.

Peggy Carter stood up straight, gazing into Fury’s eyes. “You have ten seconds to tell me where he is.”

“The gym,” Fury said immediately and oh boy, was Natasha going to be disappointed she missed the whole ordeal!

Agent Carter gave a firm nod before turning and marching out. As soon as the door shut behind her, Fury turned to face the two Agents.

“Follow her. I want the report of what she and the Captain talk about.”

Clint was sure Fury had lost it, but he wasn’t in a mood to be at the receiving end of his anger. So he nodded along with Phil before turning around.

“And Agents,” he said as they were about to exit, “if anyone hears even a part of what happened in this office today, I will personally make sure each little secret the two of you is out in the comrades.”

Gulping, the two men ran out.

* * *

 

Clint’s forte was the vents. Phil hated it.

But there was no doubt the view was enchanting.

Captain America, in real flesh, wearing a semi-transparent T-shirt and burning off some steam by punching the boxing bag.

‘Someone has a man crush!’ Clint signed and Phil merely hit him over his head. The two watched as Agent Carter watched from the shadows.

As the boxing bag flew away from a punch, the woman walked in the light.

“You’re late.”

Steve Roger’s head snapped faster than ever at the voice. There had been rumours that the two were an item back in the war, but there had been no confirmation of such a claim.

“Peggy?” he whispered, worried as if saying the name would make her disappear.

“Were you expecting someone else?” the woman asked before moving forward, her hands on her sides. “As I was saying, you are seventy years late. The Stork Club has officially closed down and the music is just not fit for dancing anymore. You are a new disappointment in the field of dating, Steve Rogers!”

By the time she ended, her voice was cracking and from his angle, Phil could see that the woman was on the verge of tears.

Now that was something he had never expected he would see.

Phil watched as Captain America removed the distance between the two of them, slowly resting his hand over her cheek. He choked for air, muttering again, “Peggy?”

“Oh, Steve!” The woman pulled the Captain in a hug and had he not been a super soldier, Phil was sure he would have cracked a few ribs. “My darling! It has been so long!”

The captain clutched on to her for dear life, before pulling her away and watching her with a confused expression. “How...”

“Our common friend,” Peggy said, smiling teary-eyed. “He said you deserved a happy ending and I almost didn’t believe him when he said that you could be alive.”

“You mean...”

Before he could say the name, Peggy had pressed her finger to his lips.

“Some names ought not to be spoken. We are in SHIELD, where secrets do not remain secret. Like our meeting just now which two agents have been watching from the vents above and think that I have not noticed, forgetting that I am the one who trained them.”

Phil flushed pink as Clink began swearing.

“Do not dare come down here boys,” Peggy warned, looking up, “Or else you might as well die by my hands. Tell Fury I am taking the Captain outside to see the beautiful city that New York has become and tell him that unless he wished to be embarrassed, he better not bother me or Steve for at least a week.”

Without waiting for a reply, Peggy took Steve’s hands and marched out of the SHIELD gym, leaving the two agents baffled.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natasha is amused, Clint is awestruck and a certain genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist makes an appearance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it is not a one-part story. I will update slowly. But I will update.
> 
> And also guys, I have written a full-time novel that I have put on wattpad. Please search for the Sword of the Four: the first Goddess by Shukriti. Please read and leave a review. If you guys help me, I might even publish and became a full-fledged writer!

To say that Natasha Romanoff was disappointed would be a massive understatement. She wouldn’t show it-not to Coulson and definitely not to Clint, but she wished she was there when Fury was having his ass whipped.

Barton had against his better judgment told her everything. It was a pity she was in the medic hall-else she would have rushed to Peggy Carter herself.

However, for the past three weeks, no one knew where Peggy Carter and Steve Rogers had disappeared off to.  Peggy had been on the duty for a very long time. She knew how to disappear without any trace.

So there Natasha was, just roaming around, looking at the new cadets working out.

“How is the batch of younglings?”

Natasha shook her head as Clint jumped down from the vents. Some new cadets looked up, surprised, but others just went on with their workout.

“You tell me,” Natasha said, turning around to face the archer. “I haven’t exactly been talking to Laura.”

Clint rolled his eyes. Natasha was always careful enough to speak so softly that no one heard her. It was Clint’s secret after all.

‘My youngest is giving trouble,’ Clint signed swiftly, ‘Laura’s a mess. I am going off soon.’

Natasha nodded.

She liked it how Clint, despite being a high profile sniper and full-time spy, had a family. He had normality.

Natasha was trained from a very young age to be a good assassin. A woman to be feared. Even after being an agent for SHIELD, people in high authorities feared the Black Widow.

Almost as much as they feared the Winter Soldier.

“Heard from Agent Carter?” Clint asked. Natasha shook her head, her gaze sweeping over the group of young cadets.

“She will come when she wishes to come, Clint. You can’t track her down. She, after all, started it all.”

* * *

 

The workshop was a personal habitat.  The music that blared from the speakers was too loud and just perfect for the mood Tony Stark happened to be in.

It was a little pet project of his, creating an arc reactor. His old man had the idea and the genius had shared his enthusiasm with Tony.

It could be said it was a legacy.

Tony tinkered on the model. He knew well enough it wasn’t a perfect piece. But to hell with it. He wanted to make it before he was led to that party or gathering or whatever it was and then forced to fly off to Afghanistan for the Jericho missiles launch.

Now, Tony had grown up among a genius who happened to serve in the war and the different members of the super-secret organization Howard had thought he had managed to hide from his son.

What a joke.

So yes, when the mood of the workshop shifted just a little and JARVIS stopped the little hum, Tony knew someone was in the workshop without prior notice.

It was a good thing that only a few people were allowed to access his personal habitat.

Pepper, Rhodey, Happy and...

“Long time no see Aunt Peg!”

The man was pulled into a bone crushing hug as soon as he stood up and turned around. Damn the super soldier serum!

“Oh, my boy!” Aunt Peggy said in her perfect accent, running a soothing hand over his hair. God, it had been so long.

As she pulled away, holding the man at an arms’ length to check if he had been taking care of himself, Tony couldn’t help but be in awe. Since the time they had first met to that day, Peggy Carter had not changed by even an inch. Except for the change to pantsuits from skirt and shirt, she looked exactly the same she did some twenty years ago.

“How have you been?” she asked, a smile gracing her lips.

Tony shrugged. “Here and there. Running the company with Obie, treating Miss Potts ‘correctly’ and irritating the hell out of Rhodey. What about you?”

Peggy laughed, shaking her head. “Just the same, Anthony. Taking care of some idiots who wish to take over the world and recruiting young ducklings.”

Tony snorted at the name she took and at the irritation Peggy displayed. She always hated the young cadets who came to join her secret organization. And the guy who was leading the place-what was his name, Angry? No, it was Fury- That guy kept bringing strays.

“Bringing down HYDRA?” he asked, pulling a chair.

 Sitting down, Peggy nodded. “Among other work.”

Tony raised an eyebrow at the everlasting smile. It wasn’t that Aunt Peggy didn’t smile. It was just that...she didn’t smile that much.

“Are you dating someone?”

Peggy raised a single eyebrow and Tony wished that his mother was alive so that he could hide behind her like he did all those years ago.

“I am not judging,” Tony immediately raised his hand in surrender and Dum-E, that idiot, came wheezing and shaking his arm above as if mimicking the same posture. “Just, you look young but aren’t you like 100?”

The eyebrow rose higher and Tony gulped. “I mean to say, the guy deserves to know he is dating a World War II hero. If you are dating that is.”

“What I do with my love life is none of your concern Anthony.”

Tony nodded. “I know Aunt Peg, but as you lovely godson I ought to take care of you. And it hasn’t been long since Uncle Daniel so...”

Peggy huffed and turned to pet Dum-E. Tony let out a breath. Crisis averted.

“I heard you leave tomorrow,” Peggy said, petting the robot as it wheezed and Tony rolling his eyes. “Afghanistan, isn’t it?”

“Yup, big presentation and all with Rhodes.”

Peggy nodded, before talking about random things. The sudden change of topic did not go unnoticed by Tony, but shrugging it off, he joined in the conversation.

Talking with Aunt Peg was always fun.

* * *

 

Clint was bored. SHIELD had no mission for him in near future and he had just hit the target using his hands, legs, without looking, without sound and God knows how else. Natasha had promised she would come for lunch but Coulson had called her away.

Pouting, he thought about calling home. But one wrong signal and then everyone would know he had a freaking family. Not a great idea.

Shaking his head in despair, Clint picked up the arrow.

Stretch. Aim. Release.

The arrow hit the mark again.

“Impressive.”

Clint turned around, hoping to boast only to be frozen at the sight of the living legend himself-Captain America.

The last time Clint had seen the man he was kissing Agent Carter. He looked pretty satisfied and happy now. And the way he stood, his arms crossed, judging Clint’s work-Gosh, someone call 911. Clint was having a heart attack!

“My friend Bucky was a sniper,” he said casually as if he was talking to a good friend, not a random fanboy stranger. “His aim was, if not better, as good as this.”

“I know.” Clint somehow managed to croak out.

Before he knew it, the man was standing in front of him, a genuine smile spread over his face. “Clint Barton I presume?”

“Yeah.”

The two men shook hands, smiling. “I have heard quite a bit about you.”

“Not all good, I hope,” Clint said and if possible, Captain America’s smile widened.

“Mixed reviews.”

Pulling his hand away, Steve looked at the bow in Clint’s hands. “I was never into archery. I can aim, but bow and arrows are not really my forte.”

“Well, that’s a good thing or else I would be out of a job.”

What was Clint thinking?

But Captain America only laughed. “I had heard you were jovial.”

Clint only nodded dumbly.

“Where are you Barton-oh!”

The two men turned to see Natasha Romanoff. Clint was glad for her intervention. She always knew how to hold her feelings back. Clint didn’t.

“If it isn’t the man who has managed to shake the whole of SHIELD.”

Steve smiled. “I am sorry to cause you discomfort. Natasha Romanoff, I presume?”

Natasha raised an eyebrow. “You know of me?”

“I know about the lot of you,” Steve answered, still smiling, “Peggy and I had time to discuss a lot of things.”

“You two just talked these three weeks?”

Clint wanted to smack himself. His mouth had a brain of its own. To his embarrassment, Cap was a deep shade of red and Natasha was smirking evilly. Oh, he was so done.

“What Steve and I did in these three weeks is none of your concern, Agent Barton. Lie it wasn’t your or Agent Colson’s concern what we did in the gym.”

Oh man! He was going to die so badly.

“Agent Carter, I didn’t-”

The other woman merely raised her hand. “I don’t want your excuses.”

She walked across the room, nodding to acknowledge Natasha before pulling down Captain America in a deep kiss.

Clint blushed furiously-why, well, he had no idea. The Captain didn’t seem to have a problem as they pulled apart, gazing lovingly in each other’s eyes.

Once the two super soldiers were satisfied they weren’t going to lose each other, Agent Carter turned to look at the other two agents. “Steve will be joining us at SHIELD. I have talked to Fury and I have talked to Coulson.  I have a proposition, of making a team. If the two of you are interested, we would like to talk to you about it.”

Clint looked at Natasha, raising an eyebrow. Working in a team with Captain America? Hell yeah!

“What is this team for?”

Agent Carter and Captain Rogers exchanged mysterious smiles. “Saving the world and if that doesn’t work, avenging it.”

Steve grinned. “I think of calling the team the Avengers.”


	3. Life is confusing as hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team 'Avengers' have their first mission and someone from the past makes an appearance.

Phil had to say that the team worked well. There were only four members, but they were damn good and not a single thing had gone wrong. With a leader like Captain America, a strategist like Agent Carter and agents like Agent Barton and Agent Romanoff, it was for sure that every mission would be a complete success.

And well, Captain America was leading the team.

As soon as met Phil and knew his name, his eyes widened. "I met you back in the 30's. In an ice cream shop. How are you alive?"

Phil couldn't believe Captain actually remembered him. Smiling widely, he said, "The government never did give up working on the serum. They did get a few things right, like slow ageing."

Captain America nodded and clapped him on the back. "Great."

 It was a few days after the conversation that Phil found Captain America again. This time, however, he had a mission.

The five of them sat in a conference room, all grave.

“HYDRA survived?” was the first question Captain America had asked as Coulson had brought the news of a HYDRA base that was experimenting on humans.

Agent Carter nodded gravely. “I am afraid so Steve. After the war, we were so sure that HYDRA was down that nobody paid attention to the minds that had escaped. All of us were so busy trying to avoid a war with USSR. When in the 90’s we finally realized that HYDRA had grown another set of heads, they were too strong to be eradicated.”

Captain America nodded gravely. “Well, you did try.”

Agent Carter nodded, before resuming her speech. “We have been trying to eradicate them for over ten years now. Every time we think we have almost got them, a new branch appears which we had no idea existed before. We do have some...spies, to say the least, Double agents who give us information from within. But even their Intel fail.”

A silence stretched in the room. Captain looked grave, reading through the reports Coulson had handed over. Agent Carter looked...worried, to say the least. If possible, she looked downright terrified. But of what, well, Phil had yet to know.

Barton and Romanoff didn’t look much better. The two were exchanging glances, talking in sign language under the table. Phil, knowing best, decided to concentrate on captain’s orders. He knew that if he looked towards the two other agents, he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from deciphering their messages.

Phil awkwardly cleared his throat, looking at the team with the forced smile. As Captain looked up, he turned to everyone. “So Captain, what do you say? Ready to take down some idiots in the old Fashioned way?”

Captain America actually smiled at him. “Well, if you mean barging in their base and kicking their butts, well, count me in.”

* * *

 

Clint was furiously signing to Natasha when Agent Carter approached them.

It had been the same since they had left the conference room. The team was supposed to leave in less than two hours and Clint was trying his best to convince Natasha to tell Steve about her secrets.

Huh, Steve. Clint had not even noticed when the great man had become Steve to him.

“Agent Romanoff.”

Both the blond and the redhead turned to see Agent Carter looking at them. She didn’t look much sure herself. Clint knew better than to ask.

“Can we talk alone?”

Natasha raised an eyebrow. “Whatever it is Agent Carter, I am sure I can allow Clint to know about it.”

Clint couldn’t help but feel warm deep in his chest at the prospect. Natasha felt close enough to him that she was willing to let one of her secrets out in front of him.

 Agent Carter didn’t look too happy, but sighed nonetheless. “It’s Peggy. If we are working together as a team, we might as well be on the first name basis.”

Clint...was not sure how to process the information.

“All right Peggy,” Natasha turned, crossing her arms threateningly. “My previous statement stands.”

Peggy nodded, sparing a glance at Clint. “Steve is going to find out about our help in HYDRA this time. Do you want to tell him about your involvement or...”

Clint looked at Natasha and then at Peggy.  He knew that Natasha trained with the Red Room. He knew she performed some missions for HYDRA. What exactly were they talking about?

Natasha took a long breath before responding. “Not yet. I don’t trust Captain America enough now.”

Peggy looked none too happy about the development but still nodded. “Of course. Just be sure to tell him that. Steve has an aversion to secrets and while I can handle him, I do not want the team to develop trust issues before we even begin.”   

“Trust me,” Natasha scoffed, “Nobody knows that better than I do.”

* * *

 

Natasha looked forward, watching as the HYDRA soldiers moved around. Their movement was lethargic and lazy.

Taking a deep breath, Natasha jumped from the tree branch. The two soldiers did not even have a moment to retaliate as she landed on one man’s shoulder, snapped his neck and punched the other guy down before flipping and landing on the ground.

She tapped her intercom, walking away.

“Yes, Black Widow?”

“The men on the southern side have been taken care of, Captain,” Natasha said at once. “Hawkeye, what’s your status?”

“These guys are walking menaces. Someone did not give them breakfast this morning.”

Natasha snorted as Steve’s voices rang through the line. “Hawkeye, do you have eyes on the entrance?”

“Yup!” came his reply, “But it is the most boring entrance ever.”

“Hawkeye, stop joking around.” Came orders from Agent Carter.

“Roger that, Agent.”

There was a sigh as Hawkeye moved. Natasha pulled out her guns before standing beside Peggy.

“This is going to be hella tough, huh?”

Peggy nodded, her eyes not leaving the entrance. It was a small run down place, probably an ex-warehouse. The guards actually looked least interested in anything.

“Steve is going to be hard to handle after this,” Peggy said, loading her gun.

“Why not tell him before then?”

“You don’t know Captain Rogers the way I do, Natasha,” Peggy said, slowly taking a step forward, “He would flip and leave everything, his work, his duty to go after a personal mission.”

Natasha smirked. Yes, she had heard that before, from someone.

“Avengers,” came Captain’s voice as Hawkeye shot an arrow to the entrance. “Assemble!”

...........

* * *

The door blew apart as soon as the arrow hit its mark.

Clint smirked. There was a reason he was called Hawkeye.

Jumping down from the tree, he pulled one arrow after the other and began to shoot down the agents as they came closer. He could see Natasha and Agent Carter running inside to rescue the humans as he and Captain handled the mess out there.

In a distance, Steve was happily flinging his shield around and shooting at men without any second qualms. Well, this was the guy after whom the Captain America comics were based on. There needed to be some truth in the stories.

Clint punched the guy before shooting another arrow at the mark. He tapped his com, saying, “Widow?”

No response.

“Widow, do you copy?”

There was a slight huff and a broken, ‘here’ before Steve’s voice rang through the com. “They probably couldn’t get a signal inside Hawkeye. Let’s wait for two minutes and if we still do not have an answer, we will move in.”

“Roger that, Steve.”

There was a sigh as Steve slammed his shield on one of the guys. “Exactly how long have you been waiting to use that pun?”

Clint grinned. “Longer than I would like to admit.”

Clint barely had time to hit another guy as a boomerang hit him on the right hand.

Groaning, Clint looked up at the terrace of the faculty only to see the only spy and assassin he had ever feared.

“Shit.”

“What happened?”

Clint turned to face Steve. “We need to abort Captain. HYDRA’s biggest weapon is here.”

“What?” Steve gave him a puzzled look, before looking up at the man with one metal arm on the roof.

“That, my dear Cap, is the Winter Soldier.”

Clint began walking towards Steve as he heard Steve take in a deep breath and the words next muttered by Captain only managed to confuse him.

“Bucky?”

The Winter Soldier did not pay heed to the Captain’s words as he ran and jumped off the roof, landing on the Captain’s body and Clint only got more confused as he heard the next words through the com in the Winter Soldier’s voice.

“I am glad you are back punk. Just don’t mess up the mission.”

Hawkeye watched as the Winter Soldier knocked out Captain America in one go and turned his attention to Hawkeye.

Clint pulled out an arrow and fired at him, knowing well enough it was of no use as he dodged the arrow. He shot another arrow but the HYDRA assassin caught it with such precision that he managed to snap it into the half.

Clint walked back, firing arrows before he and Winter Soldier were face to face. Hawkeye knew he didn’t stand a chance-he never had before and he certainly wasn’t going to now.

As he was knocked unconscious, Clint could only hope that the women had managed to rescue the people from the base.

* * *

 

Phil watched as Agent Carter and Agent Romanoff brought the two unconscious men on the jet, followed by hundreds of scared people.

“I believe the mission was a success?” Phil asked as the two men were dumped down.

Natasha craned her neck. “Not so much for our boys. They had a run in with the Winter Soldier.”

Phil raised an eyebrow. He had heard about HYDRA’s best weapon. The intelligence community feared him more than anything. Even if HYDRA was full of idiots, they had managed to get one perfect assassin for themselves. The Winter Soldier was the only reason they had managed to thrive for so long. His strength was rumoured to match Captain America’s and he was known as a better shooter.

“Get these people to safety, Phil,” Agent Carter ordered, looking around, “We will handle Steve and Barton.”

Phil nodded and along with the team of SHIELD members, at once started getting the men, women and children on the proper transportation and getting in touch with needed governments.

By the time most of the people had been safely taken to their homes, it was evening. Phil decided to take a break, handling over the work to one of the other agents before walking back to the jet.

He was more than surprised to find a full blown shouting match between Agent Carter and Captain America.

“Peggy, Bucky does not deserve this!”

“Of course he doesn’t!” Agent Carter shook her head, “But this was his choice. He knew that he had created this empire and if he did not help us, HYDRA would only grow!”

“But this isn’t Bucky’s responsibility!” Captain shouted and Phil could see how heartbroken he looked. “He has already suffered enough Pegs!”

Phil slowly moved towards the other two agents. “What’s happening?”

Clint groaned, removing the ice pack from his face. “The Winter Soldier is, apparently, Captain America’s dead best friend and sidekick, James Bucky Barnes and he is also the person we keep getting information from.”

Phil’s heart only began pacing faster at every new information he got. Captain America’s best friend was alive? He was the Winter Soldier?? Oh, Fury was going to have a field day!

“Wait,” he slowly turned to Natasha who was looking at the fight in amusement. “Aren’t you supposed to be the person who gets most of the information from the informant about Hydra? Did you know about this?”

Natasha only smiled mysteriously, saying, “I have many secrets, Coulson. Many.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, guys, I am blown away by your response! I hope you liked this chapter! I have some parts of the story written down so the updates, hopefully, will be either every week or every fortnight. But life's getting bad. so...*shrugs*.
> 
> The story will work on team dynamics, so Tony will come around, but a little later and so will hulk and oh, trust me, I am open to all suggestion cause this story is not set in stone. If you have any ideas, any tropes, anything that you want me to include, just drop it in the comment below!
> 
> And yes, please, please read my story on wattpad! It's "The Sword of the Four: The First Goddess" by shukriti. I really want you guys to leave me a review there and let me know if you like it!
> 
> Se you soon!


	4. Tony Stark missing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony Stark has gone missing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so...Sorry for the late chapter but my laptop broke down. Hope you like this chapter! Don't forget to review!

Maria Hill was not in one of her best moods. Director Fury was overtaxed already, dealing with the World Security Council. She had to step into the role of the Director, unofficially. The world was changing, one step at a time. HYDRA did not make things easier.

And now this.

As the jet descended down, Maria took a deep breath and straightened her jacket. Coulson had already messaged her in advance, telling her about the whole Winter Soldier fiasco and Captain America’s foul mood. Agent Carter was not in one of her best moods either.

Maria respected Agent Carter. She had been a young recruit when she was the Director. Yes, she knew it was the same woman. If Fury knew something, she did as well.

The problem was, what she knew now was possibly one of the worst news she would ever have to deliver.

Maria watched as the jet’s door opened, revealing the team. Agent Barton did not look good physically, Agent Romanoff was too calm, Agent Coulson looked tired and Agent Crater and Captain America looked pissed.

The mission was a success-the aftermath, not so much.

Taking a deep breath, Maria took a step forward. “Agent Carter...”

The woman merely raised her hand, “Now now, Maria.” And began to walk away.

Clenching her hand into fists, Maria continued to follow Agent Carter. “I am afraid it is of utmost importance.”

“Whatever it is can wait!” Agent Carter snapped, without even looking back. “I need to handle the HYDRA mess and whatever because our Captain is presently incapable of thinking...”

“It’s about Tony Stark.”

Carter stopped. No, she froze at her place. Maria stopped as well, a respectful distance between them. She took deep breaths, hoping that it wouldn’t be as bad.

Agent Carter peeped over her shoulder, her eyes downtrodden. “Tony? What-What about him?”

“He was supposed to be gone for the Jericho missile presentation in Afghanistan, as you are well aware. There was an attack on his ride and he has been deemed missing after 48 hours of search.”

Maria watched as Agent Carter’s hand began to shake ever so slightly. Taking a deep breath, she nodded.

There was a slight tremor in her voice as she spoke. “Thank you for informing me. Please inform the team that I will be in my quarters. Do not approach unless deemed absolutely necessary.”

With that, Agent Carter was gone.

* * *

 

Colonel James Rhodes was not sure how to handle the whole mess. He was there, just there. He had told Tony, damn it, that they should ride together. But in his childishness and stubbornness, Tony took a different ride.

The ‘fun’ ride.

Rhodey sighed, sitting down on the couch. Massaging his temples, Rhodey looked up at the clock. The housekeeper had said that Peggy Carter would be back by 1. It was 12:50.

He was not sure who Peggy Carter was, honestly. Tony had said she was his cousin, Aunt Peggy’s granddaughter.  But Rhodey was smart, if not a genius. He knew how genetics worked. There was no way that a granddaughter could be that similar.

Rhodey stood up as he heard the door open. He needed not to dwell upon the fact who Peggy Carter was. He needed to inform her.

She walked in, dressed in combat gear. A part of Rhodey’s mind kept bothering him to ask where she had come from, but another part told him that he was there to deliver a bad news.

Peggy Carter stood straight as she looked at him. She looked exactly the same as always. But her eyes-they told a different tale. They told how she wasn’t strong or ready to face any battle.

She knew.

“Colonel Rhodes.” She tried to smile, the same paparazzi smile that Tony put on. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Ma’am,” He wasn’t sure how to address the woman. “It’s about Tony.”

The woman gulped and nodded, gesturing him to have a seat. “I did get the news. How-what happened?”

Her voice almost broke at the end and Rhodey couldn’t meet her eyes. Aunt or cousin-she was a family member after all.

“The ride that we took, it was attacked,” Rhodey began, trying to keep his voice purely professional. “I was in a different jeep. There was open firing. By the time any of us could go search for him, he was gone. Everyone in his jeep was dead. We have found no body. Stane has refused to say anything, but Ms Potts said that they had sent a video to Stane. Possible asking for ransom. We can’t be sure.”

By the time Rhodey looked up, his eyes were full of tears. Quickly wiping them away, he turned to look at Peggy Carter.

She had a neutral face, too stony for someone who had found out about their family member’s disappearance.

“Do you know who I am, Colonel?” she suddenly asked.

Rhodey sat up straight. “A family member, Ma’am.”

“His cousin?”

Rhodey smiled. “I met Tony’s Aunt Peggy in the Christmas of 1991. You remind me of her. If it had not been for the lack of white hair, I would have said you were Aunt Peggy.”

Peggy Carter tightly closed her eyes, a single drop of tear escaping from her eyes. Sniffing, she whipped out a handkerchief from one of her pockets and wiped away the tear.

“I am the Aunt, Rhodey.”

Rhodey nodded. He had suspected, of course, but never dwelled on the fact. Tony came from a family of geniuses and possible, secrets.

“And his godmother,” she continued, standing up. “I have military’s clearance. I believe you will be starting a search party soon?”

Rhodey, though a bit puzzled, nodded, “Yes Ma’am.”

“Good,” she said, walking towards him, “When do you leave?”

“Tonight at 1800 hours,” Rhodey answered.

Peggy nodded. “Add one more person for the mission.”

Rhodey opened his mouth and then closed. “I... I am not sure if I grant you permission for that Ma’am.”

“As I said, Colonel, I have military’s clearance. Do not worry about the permission. I will be able to provide for all the right papers.”

Rhodey wanted to object, know more but the door of the house opened unexpectedly and he heard a man call out for Peggy.

“In here, Steve.”

To say that he was shocked would be an understatement. For right in front of him stood a man wearing the Captain America suit, the shield on his back and he had the stance of a military man.

“Colonel Rhodes, meet Captain Steve Rogers, the man you know as Captain America. Steve, this is Colonel James Rhodes, Tony’s best friend.”

The Captain looked at James with widened eyes, looking back and forth him and Peggy Carter. Rhodey himself as not sure how to handle the situation. He had spent his childhood being obsessed with Captain America, like any other kid in his era. Then he had met Tony, the biggest fan of Captain America to ever exist. The two of them had spent nights in MIT, talking about Captain America and making up scenarios of meeting him.

This scenario, however, was never discussed.

“You don’t have to salute him, Steve. Just shake the damn hand.”

Both of the men snapped out of their confusion to look at Peggy.

Steve looked embarrassed and oh my God! Tony would have traded everything to see this.

Tony...

“He outranks me,” Steve said and Rhodey immediately shook his head.

“I have spent my childhood hearing Captain America’s stories. I think we can drop formalities if you really are Captain America.”

The blond grinned, extending his hand. His hold was strong, Rhodey noted.

He was shaking hands with Captain America. Huh.

Rhodey turned to look at Peggy. “How...”

“Steve was found a few weeks prior on an expedition. He has just returned from his first mission after, well, waking up.”

“Did Tony know?”

Peggy sighed. “No, not really.”

There was a change of expression on Steve’s face at once. He turned to Peggy and began speaking at once. “What Maria said is true? Tony’s missing?”

Peggy nodded. “And I will be leaving with Colonel Rhodes tonight to search for him. Please lead the team effectively.”

“What? No!” the Captain looked offended at the idea. “It’s Tony, Peggy. I want to help.”

“And you will be helping by leading our team here,” Peggy stressed. She turned to Rhodey and said, “Please do not repeat anything of what you heard right now to anyone.”

She said it pretty sweetly, but Rhodey was experienced enough to detect the underlying threat.

“Ye, Ma’am.” He said, nodding at her and then at Captain. “I will take my leave now. We will be leaving...”

“I will find out when and where, colonel, do not worry about that,” Peggy said, before nodding. Rhodey understood the dismissal and merely nodding his head, took off.

Stealing one glance at the two heroes of World War II, Rhodey moved out. He had work to do.  

* * *

 

Natasha was tired. The whole debacle of Steve and Peggy the last day had left her irritated and Steve’s reaction to Tony Stark’s disappearance had left her puzzled.

Opening the door to her SHIELD given apartment, Natasha craned her neck. Slowly massaging her shoulders, Natasha threw the keys and heard as it landed perfectly on the shelf.

It was a small apartment. To the left of the door was an open kitchen and on the right was the living room. The window was left open in the living room. Right in front of the entrance door were two doors, each leading to a separate bedroom.

Taking slow steps, Natasha walked to the kitchen, taking whatever she could find to quench her hunger. It was around this time that Natasha realized that she was not alone in the apartment.

Working in a flow, Natasha picked up a knife before reaching to the overhead shelf.

As soon as she was on her toes, Natasha turned and threw the knife across the room.

“Holy Jesus! Natalia, it is me!”

Well, she had to be safe.

Natasha crossed her arms and looked disapprovingly as the man she had faced mere hours ago on the battlefield came in the light. His hair was, as always, long and messy. His silver arm shone in the light. The clothes were as monotonous as ever.

However, the blood seeping out of his right shoulder was something new.

“Got hit hard huh?”

James Barnes snorted at Natasha’s comment. Throwing away the backpack on her couch, He crossed his arms.

“Oh yes! I met this redhead in the battle yesterday who just wanted to kill me!”

Natasha snorted at James’ angry pout. He looked adorable, almost like an overgrown puppy.

“Well,” Natasha said, walking up to the medical cabinet in the living room, “Had to convince Cap that I was in the fight, huh?”

As Natasha took out the medical kit, she realized James had gone silent.

Probably still sensitive about Cap.

“Sit.”  

James did not hesitate before sitting down. Natasha took out the necessities, slowly cleaning the wound.

“How long do you have before you have to report back to your handler?” Natasha asked, throwing the cotton away.

“A few days,” James shrugged, looking at her. “They want information on the new team. Can you ask Carter what she wants to pass on to HYDRA?”

“Peggy is not here,” Natasha said, taking out the gauze from the medical kit, “She left for Afghanistan a few hours ago.”

“Afghanistan?” James looked at her in confusion, “HYDRA doesn’t have a base in Afghanistan as of now.”

Natasha stood up, smiling. “She hasn’t gone for HYDRA, James. Her godson has gone missing.”

Natasha barely had time to turn as James grabbed her hand and stood up. She was ready to jerk away, but seeing the fear on James’ face she was not so sure.

“Tony-Stark’s missing?”

Natasha raised an eyebrow. James had stopped between the two names.  “Yes.”

“How?” James looked beyond surprised. She wanted to ask him why he cared. But one look at his face and Natasha knew that James needed to know.

“He had gone there for a presentation of a new kind of weapon,” Natasha informed, slowly freeing herself. “There was an attack and he was captured.”

James let her go at once, looking anywhere at her. He ran his flesh hand through his hair, stopping at a point before pulling away.

“I-I need to go.” He said quickly, before moving towards the window. Natasha was in front of him the other second, her hand on his chest.

“You are still recovering, James.”

“I have the super soldier serum in my body, Natalia. I think I will survive.” He said, ready to move again. Natasha pressed her hand with more force until their eyes were meeting.

“I don’t know why you are so obsessed with Stark, but right now going to him won’t help anybody. Peggy will be the one to find him. If you leave, HYDRA will know you have deflected.”

“No they won’t,” James shook his head, “They will think I am following Peggy Carter and taking information from her.”

“Last time you followed Peggy carter they put you in cryo for five years. You want a repeat of that?”

As predicted, James was silent. He did not look happy that Natasha was making sense.

Slowly pulling away, Natasha walked back and closed the window. “Rest for today and get the information that you need from tomorrow. Try being out of cryo now. I will keep updating you from now onwards about Stark and everything else. All right?”

Natasha turned to look at him. He stood there still for some time, before nodding.

“Good,” Natasha said, walking to the kitchen. “You want something to eat?”


	5. Iron Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The events of Iron Man...and Tony meeting Steve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait! But I am finally finished with Iron Man. You know I don't rewrite scenes from the movies, only add what is different. So yeah, see Iron Man if you have to jog your memory.   
> Also, a little angsty.

Colonel Rhodes watched as Peggy Carter looked around. Her eyes moved so carefully yet swiftly as if she was examining every grain of sand available. He barely had time to cover his nose as another storm blew around.

“Aunt Peg?”

The woman slowly turned, her eyes fixed on Colonel Rhodes.

“Yes?”

Rhodey sighed. “There is no sign of Tones here. He is not here. It must be somewhere else.”

Agent Carter sighed, looking back at the area. “I believe you are right. Lead back to the truck, will you?”

The man nodded, before turning and moving around. He shouted orders to the men, getting in the truck. Agent Carter got behind him, her eyes fixed on a small, old, brown leather book.

Colonel Rhodes knew better to ask. But his mind was brimming with curiosity.

* * *

 

Tony Stark did not know how long he had been walking when two planes flew over his head. He looked, a little hope in his heart.

“Hey!” he shouted, waving his arms, “Hey!”

He heard as the plane landed somewhere. He couldn’t take it, no more. It was hot and sweaty and Tony-Tony was tired.

Was he going to die? Did the planes see him? Were they even trying to find him? Did Aunt Peg know?

Was he going to meet his Mom and Dad?

Tony fell down, his hand touching the burning sand. It didn’t hurt-not after what happened in the cave. Not anymore.

He looked up, his eyes squinting as he saw three figures coming his way. Huh, mirages worked in funny ways.

The one closest to him looked like Rhodey. Wow, was he dying?

“How was the fun-vee?”

Tony smiled. For the first time in over three months, he smiled. That was Rhodey in front of him. He was going to be okay.

“Next time you ride with me okay?”

Rhodey pulled him in a tight hug. Tony rested his head on the shoulder, mumbling, “Am never coming back to Afghanistan.”

* * *

 

Tony had no idea what happened next. Honestly, he was lost. He was tired and sleepy and pain-there was so much pain. He never knew pain. Once, he remembered, when he was seven, Dad had hit him because he was drunk. Aunt Peg had scolded him and hit Howard on the head. Dad never rose his hand or said anything bad to him again. He always made an effort to be better.

But he remembered the hit. It was right on his face and his nose was broken. It had hurt so much-he had cried on Jarvis’ shirt, making the blue shirt all red. It had hurt. That was when he had been hurt.

This was way worse. Tony wasn’t sure if he could survive this.

“Anthony, darling, can you hear me?”

Tony smiled at Aunt Peg’s voice. Wonderful, wonderful Aunt Peg. Mom tried, but she was always busy with this party and that charity event. Dad never had time for hiss problems-the two only bonded over their love for machines. His dad was always proud of him, but he was never a-Dad. He was always that teacher, that mentor.

It was Aunt Peg and Jarvis who raised him up. Aunt Peg was there to tell him bedtime stories of Captain America and his best friend Bucky Barnes. She was there when he fell down after riding a bike.  It was her who gave him tips on how to make his girlfriend happy. She taught him how to respect men and women alike, how to be mature, how to do everything.

“Dear, you are all right, you are fine.”

The voice broke and a soft hand began caressing his hair. It was like those initial years all over again, with mom playing the piano, Dad and Jarvis talking softly about something as he laid his head on aunt peg’s lap and she slowly ran her hand over his head, lulling him to sleep.

He shifted towards the hand, eyes closed.

Tony was tired. He wanted to sleep.

* * *

 

The next that Tony woke up, he was in a nice hospital room-not the best, but a comfortable one-and one side Rhodey was snoring and the other, his Aunt Peg was talking to someone over the phone. He couldn’t see her face, but he knew it was her by the voice.

“He is fine, resting now,” she said, taking deep breaths, “Yes, I know. No, Stane is back in the US. I don’t know Steve, he hasn’t talked yet. Well, why don’t you ask him yourself? As I thought. No, I cannot. It was underlined red, remember? Listen, do not...Steve, has something happened? Dr Banner? No, it was...another few months that I am aware of. All right, I-I trust you will be able to handle it. What? What has Fury asked Coulson to do? No, No don’t stop him, Steve. It is all underlined red. No, it isn’t the self-destructive...Anthony isn’t like that. Steve...Fine, I will treat them as yellow, happy? Great. I think I can hear him wake up. I will talk to you later Darling. Bye.”

She cut the call and turned around. Yup, Aunt Peg was there. She looked at him staring at her. Smiling gently, she walked over to him. Aunt Peg pulled up a stool and sat down, running a hand over his head. “How are you feeling, dear?”

“Your boyfriend’s named Steve?”

Peggy scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Not really the concern right now, is it?”

Tony smiled. “But still, your boyfriend’s named Steve?”

Peggy huffed. “I will introduce the two of you once we get back to the US soil, all right?”

Tony nodded, before coughing up a bit. Aunt Peg immediately handed him a glass of water, which he gulped down eagerly. Once he was back, he looked at Aunt Peg. He needed to tell someone, and who is better than an agent?

“They were using my weapons. The weapons I had made to protect our people.”

Aunt Peg looked sad, but not shocked. “I see. What do you wish to do about it?”

Tony shrugged, before a jolt of pain ht him. “I-I don’t know. What should I do?”

“You are a grown man now, Anthony. You decide.”

Tony hummed, before drifting off to sleep.

* * *

 

Aunt Peg left early because of some problem. After that, things just kept happening. His return back, the cheeseburger, the press conference, showing the arc reactor to Stane and coming back to his mansion to JARVIS and the bots.

Now, he lay down on an operating table with a new arc reactor in his hand and the old one in his chest. His hand was too big and he wasn’t a big fan of doing surgery on himself.

“JARVIS, contact Pepper.”

“Contacting now sir.”

Once the beep happened, Tony said, “Pepper. How big are your hands?”

“What?” came a confused reply.

“How big are your hands?”

“I don’t understand why...”

“Get down here. I need your help.”

It was less than two minutes when Pepper was down. Tony said, “Show me your hands.”

Pepper, the poor confused soul, lifted up her hands. “Yes, good. They are petite. I need your help.”

“What are you doing Tony? Is-Is that the thing that is keeping you alive?”

Tony let out a deep breath. “It was. It is now an antique.”

He lifted his hand, looking at the new arc reactor. “This will be keeping me alive for the foreseeable future. I’m swapping it up for an upgraded unit, and I just ran into a little speed bump.”

“Speed bump?” she asked worriedly, “What does that mean?”

Tony opened his mouth to speak as she gasped. Years living with a genius she was a little aware of the man’s antics. “Tony, please don’t tell me...You have to get to a hospital!”

“Okay,” Tony said, defensively, “the reason I called you and not Rhodey or Aunt Peg-”

“Because I was the closest.”

“-is because they will send me to a hospital and I don’t trust hospitals. I trust you.”

She looked at him, terrified.

Tony gave her one of his smiles. “Don’t worry, I will direct you. You will be great.”

In the end, Pepper ended up pulling out the wire, pulling out the magnet, almost sending him into a cardiac arrest and freaking out about pus on her hands.

Once the arc reactor was in him, he couldn’t help but grin and say, “Now that was easy, wasn’t it?”

She was probably trying to threaten him, but a smile spread on her face as she said, “Don’t ever, ever, ever, ever ask me to do anything like that ever again!”

“I don’t have anybody but you,” Tony said, the sincerity clear in his voice.

For a moment, Tony had a feeling they would get over their years-long awkward burying of feelings and kiss. Awkward, so he gave a smirk and sat up. “Anyways,”

Pepper turned around, trying to get away the pus from her hands and picking up the old arc reactor.   
“What do you want me to do with this?”

“That? Destroy it. Incinerate it.”

Pepper looked baffled out. “You don’t want to keep it?”

Tony smirked. “I have been called many things, Pepper. “Nostalgic” is not one of them.”

Pepper nodded, before saying, “Will that be al, Mr Stark?”

Tony smiled. “That will be all Ms Potts.”

He walked around, calling Butterfingers and talking gibberish to him. He was fine. He was perfect.

* * *

 

The first flight was awesome, except when he came back, both Aunt Peg and Pepper were looking at him with wide eyes.

“Oh come on! This isn’t the worse you have seen me do.”

Pepper’s breath hitched. “Are those bullet holes?”

“Why couldn’t you be a little less adventurous Anthony?”

Tony shrugged as the suit finally came off. “Just, just had some ideas.”

Peggy looked unimpressed and for the first time in forever, Tony was on his knees, metaphorically. “Please don’t take it away.”

“I won’t, but Nicholas will,” Peggy said, shaking her head. “Agent Coulson, a good friend, has already contacted Pepper regarding a meeting.”

Tony sighed. “If you are fine with this, nobody can make me scared.”

“I never said I was fine with it,” Peggy said and Tony could feel his heart stop for a second. “But I said it before and I am saying it now. You are an adult and you can make your own decisions.”

 She turned to Pepper and said, “Give Coulson what he is asking for. He is trustworthy and e won’t do something bad.”

Without another word, Aunt Peg left. And that was the first time in his life, even with Aunt Peg’s disapproval, that Tony knew he was doing the right thing.

* * *

 

Life is such a roller coaster ride. You realize you have been stupid in not confessing how you feel about a woman even when she works for you, your mentor becomes an arch enemy, you become a hero overnight and then you kill your so-called ex-mentor-arch enemy. And now, even after a talk from an Agent whom your Aunt trusts and your best friend and your potential girlfriend, you come out as a superhero.

“I am Iron Man.”

When Tony got home, he wasn’t sure he was expecting. But for sure, he wasn’t expecting the Director of Shield, Fury, the guy his Aunt-not hated but didn’t love either-talking to him about joining a band of superheroes. Did Aunt Peg know?

He had said he would tell Fury later and he went down for sleep.

The next morning when he woke up, he was blissfully aware of the melodious tune coming from the living room. The first thought that crossed his mind was Obie-but Stane was dead. And the tune-it wasn’t a very common one either. Nothing that was played by his mother or by anyone. It was a special one-Aunt Peg’s special tune.

Once freshened up, Tony made his way to the living room. There she was, Aunt Peg, in all her glory, playing the piano. And there was someone talking to Pepper, someone with blond hair.

He ignored the two people on his couch, too sleepy to deal with them. Instead, he turned to Aunt Peg and slowly put his chin on Aunt Peg’s shoulder, closing his eyes and listening to the melodious tune.

“Good morning Anthony,” Peggy said, pressing the last key and slowly patting the younger man’s cheek.

“Morning Aunt Peg, “ he said, pressing a kiss on her cheek, “When did you arrive?”

“A few hours ago,” she said, standing up. “I believe Nicholas met you?”

Tony nodded, still sleepy. He realized the two people on the couch had stopped talking and the blond was staring at him. He...he recognized the man, but a man could only make out so much from a side glance.

“And I believe he talked to you about the Avengers Initiative?”

Tony yawned. “Yeah, I am not so keen on joining the secret boy band of superheroes. I work well alone.”

Peggy had a weird knowing smile on her face. As if she could convince him otherwise. Well, even she didn’t know everything.

“It is not a boy band,” she said, “There are two very well able women on that team. And the team is called Avengers.”

“As if it matters!”

Peggy just smiled, before turning and leading him towards the new person. “I believe someone can change your mind. Steve.”

Tony raised an eyebrow, before looking in front to see the blond making his way towards them, an upbeat smile on his face. And...oh my god! No, no he was dreaming. This couldn’t be true. He was dreaming, Tony was dreaming. He hadn’t woken up yet. Aunt Peg wasn’t just beside him, he wasn’t yet awake. This was a dream. This couldn’t be true.

“Steve, this is my godson and Howard’s son, Anthony. Anthony, this is Steve Rogers, my fellow Avenger and boyfriend. And you may know him as Captain America.”

Steve Rogers, STEVEN GRANT ROGERS, THE GREAT CAPTAIN AMERICA, just smiled and extended his hands and had the audacity to say, “Nice to meet you, Anthony, I have heard a lot about you.”

Tony looked at him, gaping. The man was six foot tall, a foot longer to him and the most perfect man he had ever seen. Tony had no control over what came out of his mouth next.

“Do you sign comics and trading cards?”


	6. Tony Stark and Bruce Banner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Tony live together while Bucy has to leave for HYDRA again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I just watched Avengers: Endgame trailer and I AM DYING!!! and I am pretty sure all you poor babies are going through the same thing so here's a fluffy chapter to make you happy.

“I am sorry?”

Tony laughed nervously. Pepper was barely able to hold back her laughter.

“I mean, nice to meet you. I have heard a lot about you.”

Pepper snorted, but Steve Rogers merely smiled and shook the hand.

“Trading cards, you said?”

Peggy snorted. “Yes. This young man as a collection that can rival Coulson’s collection.”

Tony could only stare at his godmother. “Seriously, Aunt Peg?”

Peggy smiled charmingly and turned to Tony. “And you will have a lot of time to do that. Steve will be here for a while. I think you are hungry?”

Saying so, the three people moved towards the kitchen. For a genius, it took Tony some time to understand what Peggy meant.

“Wait,” he said, hurriedly walking forward to join the other three people, “Captain America will be in my house?”

Steve looked a bit put off at the name ‘Captain America’. Okay, so do not use that name again.

“Yes,” Peggy said, making her way towards the fridge.

“Peggy said it would be alright,” Steve said, turning to face him. Tony still couldn’t believe that the man was talking to him. “I have been ordered to stay low for a while and Peggy mentioned this place. I hope it won’t be a problem.”

“Of course it won’t!” Tony said hurriedly. Pepper and Peggy exchanged amused glances as Tony rambled on. “I mean, you were one of Dad’s closest friends and you are Aunt Peg’s boyfriend and this house is big enough to accommodate all the Howling Commandoes.  So yeah, no problem at all.”

Steve gave a smile, shaking his head. “I hope we will have some good time.”

* * *

Natasha was half asleep when she heard voices from her drawing room. It didn’t take her long to plunge back into consciousness.

It wasn’t an attack, because the voices were not hushed. One voice was male, the other female. There were sounds of cutlery-not of throwing them. It was as if someone was pouring the tea.

Ah, so Agent Carter was at her home and having a chat with her boyfriend.

She knew that it was safe and that she did not need to go out. But her mind and body were trained to wake up in case anything is different.

She took her sweet time getting freshened up and going out. She knew that Peggy and James had their own set of secrets that she was not aware of. She knew that they certainly didn’t want her to know any of them. And she was fine with it.

Being a spy did not mean she had to know everything. Contrary to popular belief, she actually did not know everything. She respected her boyfriend and kind-of-boss enough to keep quiet.

When Natasha finally came out of her door, Peggy had a sort of wicked smile on her face as James doubled up in laughter.

“Trade-Trading cards? And Stevie did not bulge?”

Peggy smirked. “He later confided to me how awkward it was for him that it was Tony, of all people, who asked him to sign comics and trading cards.”

James couldn’t control his tears. Peggy merely sipped on her tea before giving a smile to Natasha.

“Good morning Natasha.”

Natasha moved forward, stealing a kiss from James before he started laughing again. “Good morning Peggy. Morning James. Uh, you taste too much like herbal tea for my liking. Funny story?”

 Peggy nodded as Natasha made her way to the kitchen. “I formally introduced my boyfriend and Godson yesterday. It went as well as you could expect.”

James snorted as Natasha pulled another chair with her cup of coffee in hand. “Poor Steve must be blushing at all the attention. Everyone knows what a huge fanboy Stark is.”

Peggy and James shared a glance as if remembering an old joke. Natasha did not pry.

“Yes indeed,” Peggy answered, “Steve couldn’t handle the attention.”

James snorted one last time before slipping an arm around Natasha. “I wonder how he would react when he meets me.”

“Who are you talking about: Anthony or Steve?”

James shook his head. “Tony, of course. Already met the little punk.”

Peggy rolled her eyes. “Well, if you must know, Tony harboured a greater crush on Bucky Barnes than he did on Steve Rogers. You really do not want to know what I have caught him doing with your posters under the sheets.”

Natasha smirked as Bucky choked on his tea. She had to pat his back as he continued to cough.

“Did not need to know that Peggy!”

“I am sure,” she said, setting down her cup. “I will take my leave now. You have everything you need James and I hope the plan you have given me is approved by the HYDRA officials.”

James nodded, gasping for breath. “Yup, absolutely approved. Don’t worry, it will be fine.”

Peggy nodded. “And if possible, kindly drop by to meet your best friend before leaving.”

Not waiting for a reply, Peggy made her way out of the door and left the couple alone.

Natasha looked at James, who had lost all the mirth after Peggy’s last sentence. “You leaving?”

James looked at her, smiling before pushing a stray strand of hair from her face. Too sappy for her, but he loved these small gestures.

“They want their best Asset back,” James sighed, rubbing his temples with his metal arm. “And I think they are going to put me down longer this time.”

Natasha nodded. Being in a relationship with the best assassin of the world had its cons. Most of them included long separation. Not even long distance, just long.

“You going to drop by to say hello to our Captain?”

Bucky shook his head, looking at her. “Stevie and I are close, Natalie. 70 years do not change that stuff. If I meet him, he won’t let me go.”

With a laugh, he added, “And I don’t think I am ready to see him yet. For him, it has been a maximum of two years. For me, it is seventy years of catching up. Not sure that is going to happen.”

Natasha hummed, before resting her head on his shoulder and letting the morning sun peep its way through the window.

This could be the last time they were together. HYDRA could manage to wipe out James’ memory once and for all. Maybe the next time they met, they would have to kill the other. Maybe the next time he would wake up, she would be gone.

With jobs like theirs, the uncertainty lived with them.

* * *

 

Three weeks and Tony could still not believe that Captain America was living with him.

Steve Rogers, on the other hand...

It was after the first few days that Tony understood that Steve Rogers and Captain America were two different people.

Captain America was a symbol of freedom, truthfulness and courage. He was the guy that Tony had heard stories about in his childhood. He was a good and truthful man, someone who was an ideal man who never swore. Anybody could be Captain America.

Steve Rogers, though? Steve Rogers was a little shit who had a mouth worse than anyone and who never knew when to back down.

“Fuck! Shit! Bloody son of a bitch! I hate technology!”

Tony smirked as he heard Steve come out of his room. He looked up from the sandwich he was eating at the semi-naked Steve, with shampoo still in his hair. The only piece of clothing he had was the towel wrapped around his waist.

“The shower giving you problem Rogers?” Tony asked, taking a large bite from his sandwich.

Steve pointed his finger angrily at Tony as if accusing him. “Why do you hate me?”

Tony’s mouth fell open and he clutched his-well, arc reactor- dramatically before sniffing. “I? Hate you? The great Steve Rogers? Now, why would I do that? Well, maybe because he actually somehow got JARVIS in his side and has locked me outside of my own workshop? Could that be a reason?”

Steve sighed, rubbing his temples. Wo-ow. Look at that body. He was standing at a perfect position-the sun was doing wonders on Steve Roger’s bare chest. Maybe Tony was gay.

Ha, what a joke. Tony was bi and trying to woo Ms Potts.

But that did not mean he could not appreciate a piece of art.

“Tony, you were in that workshop for 72 hours, straight! No food, no sleep, only surviving on coffee and alcohol. How safe is that?”

“For your kind information,” Tony said, wiping off the bread crumbs, “I made DUM-E when I was drunk.”

“Still!” Steve said, shaking his head. “It’s not safe Tony!”

“Please, Steve, Safety protocols and I are never on the same boat.”

Steve crossed his arms, and had he not been in such a funny position, he would have looked quite threatening.

“Tony, you fix my shower so that I can take bath in peace or I swear to God-”

“Swear to God what? You will kill me? Hurl me out of the door and make me regret my action? Make me sit through a Captain America speech and make me feel like a scared schoolboy?”

They were inches away from each other and Tony could see the corners of his mouth twitching.

“No,” he said slowly, “I would inform Pepper and Peggy that you were in the workshop for longer than a period of 18 hours at a stretch.”

“You wouldn’t!” Tony took a threatening step forward. Narrowing his eyes.

Steve took a step forward and looked down and wow, wasn’t that humiliating?

“Try me.”

Tony huffed, turned around and left the room. But the next moment he was making his way towards Rogers’ bathroom to fix the shower and that little shit had a smirk on his face.

“I am using your bathroom as you fix mine!”

“Go to Hell!”

And that was just one day. Tony and Steve always had each other on edge. Tony would push all of Steve’s buttons, making him sign all the Captain America merchandise he had ever had, even getting them from his childhood home and Steve would, in return, carry him out of workshop bridal style every time he spent more than 18 hours in there. JARVIS, that little shit, would actually support Steve.

Tony would get back to him by mixing tech and making all the things in Steve’s room go berserk and Steve would, in turn, force Tony to work out with him because, “How can Iron Man protect anyone if he is weak?”

But, though he would never admit, Tony liked Steve. Between all their banters and childishness and stupidities, the two had gotten close. Steve did not treat him like he was some billionaire but as a friend. Tony understood that though Steve might be 90 or something, he was just a 25-year-old soldier who was suddenly thrust into a new world.

 Tony knew they were not going to ever become the best of friends, but he could say they were ‘good’ friends. Whenever Tony was working in the workshop and Steve was bored, he would come down, play with DUM-E or just sketch. Sometimes, he would look at Tony, as if he was remembering someone.

“I remind you of Dad?” one day Tony asked, as Steve snapped out of his daydream.

“What?” he gave a low chuckle. “No, not Howard. Someone else.”

Tony raised an eyebrow as he picked up the Iron Man Mark III gauntlet. “You knew some other genius?”

Steve smiled. “Yeah. We were good friends. He and Howard never got along.”

Tony scoffed. “Obviously. Stark men can never handle arrogant people.”

Steve raised an eyebrow but did not comment. He watched as Tony checked the weight and everything before asking, “Could you tell me what happened with, your parents?”

“You mean how they died?” Tony looked at him and Steve looked shocked, to say the least.

“Um yeah,” he finally managed to say, “that.”

“No need to be so careful about it all,” Tony said, “They have been gone for a while. I am over it. Dad passed away in his sleep in 1996. We had a good Christmas. Dad wasn’t worried about work, Mom was having a gala time looking at my old photographs. Uncle David, you know who that is right? SO yeah, him and Aunt Peg and the cousins were all there and we had a nice homely Christmas. There was a hit on Dad in 1991 near the same time and he wanted to be a full family guy after that. So we drank and had fun and all went to bed. When morning came, he did not wake up. It wasn’t surprising, he wasn’t the most healthy or young of men, but...it was bad. Ob-Stane was a lot of support to Mom andmeI along with Aunt Peg.”

Steve sighed, nodding. “What about your mother?”

“Mom followed soon after. 1998, heart stroke. They weren’t really young you know?”

Steve nodded, before taking in a deep breath. “Can I- Can I ask you something else?”

“Sure.”

“What was Howard as a father?”

Tony stopped. How, how is one supposed to answer that kind of a question? He could just say he did not want to talk about it and all, but Steve seemed-concerned.

“Dad wasn’t a father, per say.” Tony finally said, leaning on the table and looking at Steve. “He was my-mentor. He was my teacher. We bonded over our love for technology. He wasn’t a father, but, he was a Dad if that makes sense.”

Steve smiled, nodding. “Yeah, it makes sense.”

* * *

 

Hulk did not know what was happening. The man in front of him had hurt Banner. He was going to kill the man.

Hulk was going to smash!

Hulk turned around, kicking as the other man shot him. Why did all the men shoot him? He wasn’t hurting them! 

But not they were hurting him and Banner was scared. Hulk did not like it when Banner was scared.

Hulk kicked another man, roaring in anger. Where were all these people coming from?

He turned, holding two men and hurling them together as they hurt him.

Suddenly, there was a shout. He turned to see all the men drop down. There was a new man. The man had a metal arm.

The metal arm man slowly made his way towards Hulk. He wasn’t scared. He wasn’t going to hurt Banner either.

“The sun’s getting real low buddy, the sun’s getting low.”

Hulk looked at the man. The man was weird. He was forwarding his hand as if he wanted to shake his hand. He didn’t seem scared. But the sun was not getting low. Hulk could not see the sun, it was blocked by the trees, but still.

Hulk looked back as the man continued to repeat the words. Hulk sat down, angry. He reached his hand forward. The metal arm man touched Hulk with his flesh hand. He was very careful. He touched his palm and then, somewhere...

What was happening?

Where was he?

Hulk found himself losing control and it was fine, Banner was not in danger.

* * *

 

When Dr Bruce Banner opened his eyes, he looked around in confusion. There were trees and men and oh shit! Had he hulked out again? How many people had he killed? Oh God, what had he done now?

“Calm down doctor, here, take some water.”

He could not see the man at first but took the water gently. Once he was sure of himself, Bruce looked at the man.

“Jesus?”

The man barked out a laugh. Well, he had long hair and he kind of looked like Jesus.

“Nope. Not Jesus. That’s the first time someone has called me that.”

The man extended his arm and Bruce realized he had a metal arm. Bruce was not too sure about this but took the hand nonetheless.

As he was pulled on his feet the man gave him a cocky smile.

“Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes, one of the Howling Commandoes and also known as Bucky. Though nowadays, people know me as the Winter Soldier.”

And just like that, Bruce fainted again.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I have one theory: what if everything we saw in the trailer only consists of the first thirty minutes of the movie? Those ways, Tony will get rescued, Scott will help them and Clint will find the home.  
> And Clint and Tony!!!!  
> I am dying. I hope you enjoyed the chapter.  
> and btw, the gift fic I promised to one of my lovely reviewers? I am working on it, I swear, but I have exams from next week and I am busy with examinations up till March. I swear you will get the fic-I have just the perfect idea, but sorry if it takes time!


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